Integrated circuit (IC) cards are used in a variety of applications in conjunction with a card reader. The card reader usually is in the form of a card-receiving connector mounted on a printed circuit board. The card is inserted into the connector, and the connector includes a housing having conductive terminals mounted therein such that spring contact portions of the terminals bear against circuit pads on the card to make electrical connections. When the card is accurately positioned in the connector, the spring contacts transmit electronic information from the card to the circuitry of the printed circuit board which, in turn, can be a subsystem of a larger information system.
One type of IC card of the character described above is commonly termed a "subscriber's identification module" or SIM card. A SIM card is a miniature chip card for use in small hand-held devices such as pocket size cellular telephones. The SIM card may provide information such as user identification in individual telephone handsets. SIM card readers or connectors have been developed to accommodate insertion and removal of the SIM card and to provide quick identification and easy access by a cellular telephone user.
A typical SIM card includes electronic circuitry thereon for performing the specific function for which it is intended. The circuitry includes exposed circuit pads for mating to underlying spring contacts in the SIM card reader. The card is typically lowered onto the spring contacts from above the card reader and removed manually therefrom, thereby exposing the underlying spring contacts and rendering them susceptible to contaminants or damage, which can eventually compromise the reliability and integrity of the electrical connection between the SIM card circuit pads and the underlying spring contacts of the card reader. Another consequence of the manual insertion and removal of a SIM card is that a user or subscriber cannot always assure that the SIM card is fully and accurately inserted, and attempts to operate the underlying system, such as a phone for example, when the card is improperly positioned is futile. Furthermore, the small and fragile SIM card can be damaged when improperly inserted since it is constantly subjected to human handling and extraneous forces. Lastly, without means for locking the card within a connector, a user can inadvertently or unintentionally remove the SIM card during processing or use of the card. The present invention is directed to solving these various interrelated problems.